Steadfast
by Clavel
Summary: Direct Sequel to Walk Me Home. Maya and Lucas have been dating forever, but are about to enter a new phase of their lives. Takes place about 10 years after the epilogue of WMH. Lucaya, featuring Zay, Farkle, Riley/OC pairing. Highly recommend reading Walk Me Home First.
1. Chapter 1: Stolen Bacon

**Hello my lovelies! It is me again, finally bringing you the sequel to Walk Me Home. I think it could be read independently, but you'll definitely get more out of it if you have read the genesis of the story, since I self-reference a few times.**

 **I hope you guys enjoy it.**

 **Thanks to Sandy who valiantly saves you from my run-in sentences.**

 **Hope you like and don't forget to leave a comment if you can!**

 **Previously in Walk Me Home: Maya and Lucas got together in high school, and have been dating ever since. This story takes place about 10 years after the end of Walk Me Home (after the epilogue really) so they are all around 26-27.**

* * *

 **Chapter ONE: In Which Maya Steals Bacon**

It usually amused Maya that Lucas insisted on keeping a car in the city. And that he drove it often but that was the Texas side of him, she - as born New Yorker - was pretty indifferent toward cars of any kind.

But right now she had to agree that at least it provided them with a private place in which to have this conversation.

"I'm sorry," Maya said.

"You already said that," Lucas said, staring straight ahead, his hands tight on the wheel as he drove her home.

"I didn't mean to be so late."

"I know," Lucas answered in the same monotone he had been using all night.

"Lucas, could you say something else?"

"I'm sorry, Maya. But tonight was important to me."

"I know," Maya did know this.

Lucas had worked so hard on this case. It had been his first as lead chair since joining the District Attorney's Office and they were actually giving him an award for it tonight (a sort of Rookie of the Year so to speak). But Maya had gotten caught up in the studio and showed up two hours late and missed the whole thing.

It had been an accident, it really had. Contrary to what most people might think, Maya wasn't at all the "Free Spirit Artist" Type. She had a regular job (teaching Art at a school in Alphabet city, not far from her old neighborhood), was considering going back to school to get a Masters in Art Therapy and took private commissions on the side. She had a pretty strict schedule to make her life work.

Tonight had been an anomaly. And she had hurt Lucas in the process.

Angry Lucas she could deal with all day long – Lucas kept a good lid on his temper most of the time anyway, so it wasn't a big issue – but Hurt Lucas was a whole other kettle of fish.

When he stopped in front of her building, Maya was in a bit of a spiral of misery. "I'm really sorry about tonight," Maya said one last time and then bolted from the car without giving him a chance to say anything more.

It was cowardly, sure, but she hated seeing him like this.

"Hey!" Riley said when she saw Maya walk through the door. "I thought you were staying at Lucas' tonight."

They shared a tiny apartment in the West Village, not far from where Riley's own parents still lived.

"I'm not even sure there is a Me and Lucas right now."

"Of course there is a You and Lucas," Riley scoffed. "It's You and Lucas!"

"I missed the event, and he's pretty mad at me right now."

"Lucas Friar mad at you? Yeah, right. He's probably disappointed though."

"Riley, you're not helping," Maya said miserably as she sank onto their couch.

Riley sighed. "I'm sorry." She sat down next to her best friend.

"You and me both."

"Hey, Maya." Marcus, Riley's boyfriend of three years, said as he walked in from Riley's room. "I thought I heard your voice."

"Oh, crap. I'm interrupting your date! I suck so much tonight."

"Not interrupting anything, love." Marcus said kindly in that sexy British accent of his. And that kindness almost made Maya cry.

That was the thing that Marcus got that countless of Riley's exes never did: Riley was a package deal, and she made no sense without her friends. So Marcus, far from trying to monopolize Riley's time, embraced her friends and in turn was embraced by them.

They had met when Marcus T.A.'d Riley's seminar on "Economics and Public Policy" when Riley was getting her master's degree at Columbia. They butted heads from day one but when the class was over, Marcus had asked her out, and they had been together ever since.

It was adorable really.

"But you guys get so little down time and here I come with my black cloud of downer." Which was true. They both worked insane hours at the UN. Marcus as an Economy analyst and Riley for UNICEF.

"We were done eating, and were just going to watch a movie," Riley said.

"You were going to grope each other in front of the TV." Maya said accusingly, making them laugh.

"We'll hold off on the groping, peaches." Riley said. "Go put your jammies on, and we'll get the ice cream out."

"Okay." Maya said reluctantly. But hey, if Riley was willing to baby her tonight, she would gladly take it.

-00-

The next day Maya was still miserable. And Lucas hadn't called.

"I'm telling you, Riles: It's over!" Maya said dramatically.

"Maya, you guys have been together for a dozen years. You've had fights before." Riley said sensibly as she and Marcus cooked breakfast.

"Not like this." Maya said miserably. "And he always calls."

"Then You call Him." Marcus said, like this was easy.

Maya sighed and glanced and her phone but didn't call. Instead, she stole all of Riley's bacon and left for a walk.

She knew she was in the wrong, but she had already apologized a dozen times… plus, Lucas always called first. It was one of their things, like Saturday pancakes, and Chili Nights and Spring Break in Texas.

Two hours later, Riley was regretting letting her go on that walk, way more than she regretted the loss of the bacon.

"So you see? I don't need Ranger Rick! I got my very own Huckleberry."

"Are you really calling that dog 'Huckleberry'?" Riley asked, watching as Marcus rolled on the floor with Maya's brand new puppy. Who could have guessed Maya would encounter an Adopt a Pet Fair during her walk? Or that she would actually bring a dog back.

"Says so on the tag; can't change it now." Maya said as she filled Huckleberry's water and food dishes and set them near the window.

Riley just shook her head. Soon enough this would be Lucas' problem; the guy was a pushover when it came to Maya. Surely he would call soon… before Maya went and adopted herself a Sundance, a Hop-A-Long and A Bucky Mc Boing Boing.

She hoped.

"Is it even house-trained?"

Riley was not reassured by Maya's shrug.

End of Chapter One


	2. Chapter 2: Inner Eeyore

**Hello everyone! thanks for the reviews! I really do hope you guys enjoy this story!**

 **Thanks to Sandy, always, for all her help.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: In Which Lucas channels his inner Eeyore**

"Just call her already and put us all out of our misery." Zay complained when another day went by and Lucas still hadn't called Maya, bringing the grand total to three days of no communication. A whole new record.

Even back in high school when Maya had momentarily dumped him so he would just pick a college already, they had still talked every day.

"I can't. I'm actually right about this." Lucas said miserably.

The guy was lonely for his girlfriend and it was pathetic to witness.

And it wasn't like they were one of those couples who lived in each other's pockets. Lucas had a very demanding job as a prosecutor and had various interests that Maya didn't share particularly.

Maya worked at a school – with all the paperwork that went with it – and took private commissions on the side, and she was always saying how she needed at least two hours a week of "Me Time." And by that, she meant "Riley and Me Time".

But Lucas and Maya always made time for each other no matter what; even if only to pass out cuddled together in the couch while attempting to watch a movie or something like that.

"Remember that thing Maya used to say in middle school?" Farkle asked. "When being right is more important than being friends that's the end of being friends"?"

"Of course I remember, but this isn't about that." Lucas replied, leaning back into the couch.

Usually he was happy that the three of them lived together in Farkle's townhouse, except when the other two ganged up on him about something, and he really didn't want to talk about this with them.

Farkle sat down next to him. "I know Maya let you down, Lucas, but I'm sure as hell that she didn't mean to. She loves you, even though you are just an idiot with a face."

"I know that," Lucas replied, "but Maya takes me for granted sometimes."

Zay and Farkle looked at each other and shrugged. It wasn't untrue. Lucas was completely whipped when it came to Maya and there was no denying that.

"Well, at least you guys weren't planning on doing anything tonight since Maya hates Valentine's Day." Zay said in what he hoped was a comforting tone of voice.

Their usual Valentine's Day plans involved watching re-runs of Maya's favorite old shows on TV while eating pizza. He pretended not to like half of the shows, but he secretly loved it.

"And speaking of V-Day, The Farkle has a hot date. Later losers." He said as he headed for the door.

"Of course, the genius billionaire playboy philanthropist has a date." Zay complained.

While still in college – getting both his bachelors and masters at the same time – Farkle had started Farkle Tech (under the umbrella of Minkus International), making it a fortune 500 company in its own right by the time he graduated (thus taking his family's fortune to Rich McDuck levels).

Farkle had also become a bit of a mlut* after Smackle left him. But as their work pursuits drew them together and apart over the years, they remained the best of friends and rivals, and each other's sounding boards for all the crazy ideas no one else could understand.

It wasn't rare to find Farkle sitting in the kitchen at three in the morning, talking to Smackle (who currently worked as lead engineer for NASA) in the sort of shorthand that no one else could decipher.

Zay and Lucas half thought that Farkle was still in love with Smackle, but she seemed happy in Florida and by all accounts Farkle seemed to be having fun diving into the Tech/Billionaire groupie pool.

"I should probably get going too," Zay said. "I booked all my dancers for late rehearsal today just because I'm evil."

When a hip injury cut short Zay's professional dancing career a couple of years ago, he had thrown himself into choreography for both classic and contemporary dance, as well as a Broadway show or two. He could still dance – his hip had eventually healed –but he claimed that the strain of doing it professionally was sure to land him in the hospital sooner rather than later, and he enjoyed yelling at everyone and giving the orders.

"Sure, leave me alone in my misery."

"Call Maya." Was all Zay answered.

Easier said than done.

._.

Once he was all alone, Lucas's phone finally rang, but it was not the person he wanted to be calling. Still, he took the opportunity to leave the house since at least now he had an errand to run.

.

This turned out to be not the best of his ideas, since outside it was all happy couples and butt-naked cherubs and hearts all over the place. He totally understood why Maya hated Valentine's Day so much.

She always said, " _We can have dates whenever we want and have sex whenever we want. Why make a big deal of it once a year?"_

He really missed her.

So he decided to bite the bullet and call her. Did it really matter who called whom? At the end of the day the most important part was being together.

He was just pulling out his phone when it rang and he nearly dropped it.

"Lucas?" Maya's voice was frantic and a little breathless.

"What's wrong, darlin'?" He said, making a mental list of the thousand things that might have hurt his girl. "Are you alright?"

"Could you come home, please?"

"Be right there."

* * *

 _ **Author Notes:**_

Mlut = man slut, i.e. Farkle is going around the block a few times with lotsa people.

Re: Riley being with someone other than Farkle or Zay. That was a decision I took very early on when I was writing Walk Me Home. I wanted Riley to experience something pretty different than her parents did, or even Maya. Riley has dated a lot, she kissed lots of frogs but she was happy to do so, she liked dating. And she really does love her boyfriend. Farkle has a different path in this story.


	3. Chapter 3: Questions

**Please read author's note at the end!**

* * *

 **Steadfast**

 **Chapter Three: In Which Questions Are Asked (Epiphany part 3)**

It was pure reflex. When something went bad, when she needed something, Maya called Lucas.

And Lucas showed up. Not only that but it took him less than fifteen minutes to reach her door after they hung up.

Maya had been greeted by a mighty scowl when she opened the door for him, but it didn't matter. Relief hit her the moment she saw him.

Maya had always chalked it up to the cool, calm thing he had going on, the unflappable quality that had served him well in the baseball field during his jock days; and now helped him a lot as a prosecutor. But maybe it was just that her brain automatically handled over her worries to Lucas whenever he was around.

Maybe it was just pheromones.

Lucas listened patiently as Maya explained that her puppy had thrown up a couple of times since they got home from their walk. He had glared a little when Maya told him the dog's name; but he still picked up the small dog and looked it over.

"You know I ended up going to law school and not vet school, right?" Lucas said, touching the dog's tummy and feeling his nose to check its temperature.

"But you like dogs, and you've had them before." Maya said in a worried voice.

Lucas refrained from pointing out he hadn't had a dog since he moved to New York, or that he had always liked horses better than dogs. "I think the dog's fine." He said instead. "It isn't listless or even warm."

When that hadn't calmed her down, Lucas sighed and recaptured the puppy - which had managed to wiggle free before - and escorted it and its owner to the Vet clinic around the corner.

-0-

"It's perfectly normal," the vet told them. "Some dogs just chew on grass or herbs to make themselves throw up when they've eaten a lot. Nothing to worry about." She explained patiently. "But if you're still concerned you can try a bowl for fast eaters."

"Uh?" Maya asked, hanging on the vet's every world.

.

Thirty minutes later, they were back at Maya's apartment with a special bowl recommended by the vet, a pile of dog toys and some fancy gourmet food they sold at the clinic.

Lucas had also insisted they put a chip on the dog, in case it got lost - which Maya found very touching, especially because he flinched every time he heard the dog's name.

"I'm sorry I forgot my wallet." Maya said sheepishly as she settled the dog down on its bed.

"Don't worry about it." Lucas said but his voice sounded weird.

When Maya turned to look at him she found him cleaning the floor where the dog had made a mess earlier.

"I'll pay you back." She offered.

Lucas glared at her. "Do you think I care?"

They both fell silent after that, and it took a moment for Maya to ask softly, "Lucas, what are we doing?"

"I'm cleaning."

"You don't have to."

He shrugged.

There was another beat of silence. "Thanks for coming when I called… I- I wasn't sure if you would."

"I'll always come when you call me, Maya."

"But you are angry at me- "

"I'm never going to be angrier than what I love you Maya. Never. It's not possible." He said calmly before going to the kitchen to throw away the paper towels he had been using.

Maya followed him with her eyes as his words bounced around in her head. Deep down, she knew they were true. The fact that Lucas loved her was one of the two _loadstars_ by which she steered her life (the first being Riley and Maya best friends forever, of course).

His love was there in all the little things he did every day to make her life easier and happier – from showing up on time to always smiling when he first saw her, or rubbing her feet when she was tired and bringing her favorite foods like other guys brought flowers and then surprising her with flowers anyway, because he was just made that way.

With a nod, Maya went after Lucas, finding him at the kitchen sink washing his hands. She wrapped her arms around him from behind, resting her cheek on his back. For a moment, Maya remembered how annoying it had been back in high school, as Lucas got bigger and his stupid friends began to call her his keychain. She had hated that, but she loved his broad back, which had always been ready to shoulder all of her baggage without complaint.

Her Lucas was a good man, and despite of his flaws, he had never let her down.

"Lucas?"

"Mmm?"

" _ **Would**_ you marry me?"

..

Lucas startled a little, unsure he had heard right. Looking down he could see how Maya's small hands were trembling. She was afraid.

Well, he couldn't have that. So he quickly turned and, before Maya could even react, Lucas had her sitting on the kitchen counter and was kissing her like there was no tomorrow.

"Is that a yes?" Maya asked when he finally let her come up for air.

"What do you think?" He asked, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the small jeweler's box he had retrieved earlier that night. Opening the box, he revealed a beautiful engagement ring with an antique setting.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Yup."

"Where you going to propose to me on Valentine's Day?" She asked, a little disgruntled. Her disdain for the holiday was well known. In fact, they never did anything 'romantic' on that day, making it a point to mostly hang out and eat pizza.

"No. Of course not. You would have hated that." Lucas said as he took the ring and slid it into her finger. It fit perfectly. "I was going to take you out for breakfast next weekend and then to the park where we used to read comic books back in eighth grade, remember?"

"Yeah." It was one of their favorite things to do back then.

"I was going to ask you there. By that bench we used to sit at." He paused, remembering how, after they had become an official couple, they used to sit there for hours 'reading comics' and by that he meant making out. "But the jeweler called today to let me know the ring was ready so I picked it up. I was leaving there when you called, actually."

"You picked up the ring today? But we were in the middle of a fight!"

"Doesn't matter. We weren't going to stay in a fight." Lucas said, kissing her nose. "And now, forevermore, you shall have to live with the fact that _**YOU**_ proposed to _**ME**_ on Valentine's Day."

"Oh, God." Maya said, letting her head drop on his shoulder dramatically.

"It'll be a great story to tell our grandkids!" Lucas said, overly cheerful. "Though I might have to embellish it a little when I tell it. I'll say there was music and candles and chocolate or something. Maybe you in some sexy outfit."

"Is that a hint for me to show you my underwear?

"I wouldn't mind."

"Okay, fine." Maya said, pulling her t-shirt off and throwing it aside causing Lucas' eyebrows to go way up.

"Happy Valentine's day to me." He said, before picking her up and carrying her to her bedroom.

* * *

A/N:

Hello everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I had such fun writing it. Now, just a few housekeeping notes:

 **Loadstars** \- is a variation of lodestar, which basically means guiding star.

I worded Maya's proposal in that particular way because I wanted it to sound more tentative, unsure. This is a big step for her.

Also, it's called _Epiphany Part 3_ because back in Walk Me Home, both Lucas (Ch 23) and Maya (Ch 22) hand an Epiphany each, and this seemed to go well with the thematic content in those to chapters.

As always, thanks for reading and thanks to Sandy for all her help.

Thanks for favoriting and following the story! I loves comments too, so feel free :wink wink nudge nudge:


	4. Chapter 4: Riley Finds out

**Hello! I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's on the light, short and sweet side. But I just wanted to write this scene in the kitchen. :D**

 **Thanks to Sandy as always!**

* * *

 **Chapter Four: In Which Riley Finds Out**

The next morning, Riley stumbled out of bed a bit later than her usual 7AM. But since she had spent her Valentine's Day prepping for a special assembly to take place that afternoon, she figured she had earned it.

She and Marcus had planned on a romantic dinner and a ride around Central Park, but they had both been called into work last minute and ended up eating subs in Riley's office at 11PM – and they might or might not have done it in a supply closet. Riley was pleading the fifth.

When she had made it home at 2 AM, Riley had barely registered the noise coming from Maya's bedroom. Riley assumed the noises came from that channel that started airing porn movies after midnight and decided that she was not going in there to turn off Maya's TV. She went straight to bed.

Five hours later, she was ready for her day. She showered and dressed in a sharp gray suit with a narrow skirt and a fabulous pink shirt she had gotten on discount last weekend. Maya, atypically, hadn't woken up yet.

"Maya!" Riley called as she went to the kitchen to get some coffee started. "It's getting late."

There was a grunt for answer but no signs of movement. Riley shrugged, deciding to let her depressed friend sleep a bit more... that is until she walked into the kitchen and saw Huckleberry (the puppy) sitting there all pathetic next to his bowl of food.

"Oh, Maya! Your dog wants food. And it needs a diaper change." She said, looking at the soiled wee-wee pad.

This time there was more noise and the door to Maya's room opened.

"Well, hello cowboy." Riley said, wiggling her eyebrows at a bare chested Lucas who wordlessly picked up the wee-wee pad, balled it up and took it outside to the garbage chute in the hallway. Huckleberry was at his heels.

Feeling generous, Riley poured him a cup of coffee and filled the dog's dishes with food and fresh water.

"Thanks." Lucas said, washing his hands quickly before adding cream and sugar to his coffee and taking a sip.

"Do you even like it that way?" Riley asked, noticing that he prepared his coffee the way Maya liked it.

Lucas shrugged. "It's not bad."

"So you cracked, uh?" Riley commented.

"Actually, she called me first." Lucas said a little smugly.

"That's a first." Riley said, offering a little salute with her cup of coffee.

Just then, Maya came out of her room, wearing her old 'Lucas the Good' t-shirt that she still used to sleep in. Wordlessly, she pawed at Lucas' hand until he surrendered his cup of coffee.

"Morning, sunshine," Riley said sarcastically.

Maya smiled at her friend before bringing the cup to her lips.

"What's that? That right there!" Riley asked, pointing at the diamond on Maya's finger.

"Oh, we're engaged." Maya blushed.

"YAY!" Riley squealed, jumping up and down, heels and all. Then she stopped and smacked Lucas on the arm. "You proposed on V-day?"

"Hey," Lucas said, rubbing his arm a little. "I'll have you know that she asked me. I just happened to have my grandmother's ring… in my pocket, but-"

"It's Grandma Ruth's ring?" Maya asked, her eyes suspiciously shiny.

Lucas' grandma had passed away when they were juniors in college, and Maya had felt the loss deeply. She had grown really close to Grandma Ruth, often spending spring breaks and part of the summer at the Ranch with her and Lucas.

"Yeah, she willed it to me. Mom gave it to me when I told her I was looking for rings." Lucas answered. He didn't add that the ring came with a note that said _'Give it to her, she's the one.'_ "And before you ask, I didn't ask you for help because I knew you would tell her, Riley. You suck at secrets."

"I do not!"

"You kind of do, though." Maya agreed.

"Hmph." She said annoyed, "Well, I would offer to make you a celebratory breakfast, but your fiancée ate all our bacon."

"I was in deep emotional distress. Don't judge me." Maya answered, cuddling into Lucas.

"If you've got time, I'll take the two of you out for breakfast to celebrate. I don't have to be in my office until 9." Lucas offered, keeping Maya close.

"Sure." Riley said, way too perky for 7:15 AM. "I'm texting everyone."

* * *

A/N : Thank you again for reading! Please leave a comment if you can! *gives cookies as a bribe*

Also... to the guest who mentioned the bbq... funny you said that. :)


	5. Chapter 5: Maya's Chili

**Hello everyone! Thanks for reading the story! Thanks to Sandy for all her help editing it. I hope you like this chapter, this along with Maya's proposal and something that comes up a little bit later, was one of the first scenes that came to me and why I wanted to continue the story.**

 **Please leave a review if you have the time.**

 **And now, onto the story!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: In Which Riley Almost Ruins Maya's Chili**

Maya wasn't big into parties; she quickly squashed Riley's idea of throwing an engagement party, but when Mrs. Friar offered to make Chili and host dinner at her place to celebrate; Maya jumped at the idea. There was little she wouldn't do for chili.

"It's okay if you chop them roughly, Maya. It all goes in the pot," Mrs. Friar said. It was the first time ever that Maya was allowed to help with the chili.

"I want to get it right." Maya said, carefully cutting the tomatoes into perfect cubes.

"You know, sometimes I think you're only marrying me to get the chili recipe." Lucas commented from where he was sitting, eating some cheese and crackers Mrs. Friar had set out to keep him entertained.

"That's not true." Maya said with a big grin. "You're also pretty to look at. And you're nice to my dog."

"And I can reach the high shelves."

"True." Maya agreed, watching amusedly as Lucas shared his crackers with Huckleberry. "And remember I promised to share my chili with you, so you better pray I get it right."

"Because I'll be stuck with your cooking for the next 50 years or so?"

Mrs. Friar cut in. "I'm telling you right now Lucas Friar, you will eat whatever this sweet girl cooks for you and you'll like it."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Now, go and set the table or something. Be useful." Mrs. Friar shoed him away. "And take the dog."

Lucas mock-saluted and picked up a stack of plates to carry into the dining room.

..-..

A couple of hours later, everyone Maya loved was seated around the Friar's dining table passing around bread baskets and pouring drinks while Mrs. Friar filled bowls with chili.

It was perfect… almost.

"I really need your input on this." Riley said, shoving a huge binder at Maya.

"Not now, Riley. It's chili time!" Maya waited for a bowl to reach her, wiggling in her seat like a kid.

"Maya -"

"Chili now, wedding later."

"Maya, we need to start making decisions if you-"

"Lucas!" Maya tugged at his arm. "Riley is ruining my chili." She pouted.

"Riley, don't ruin Maya's chili." Lucas said, giving Maya an extra piece of cornbread and kissing the top of her head.

"Enabler." Riley said, throwing them a dirty look. Maya stuck out her tongue in response and proceeded to ignore her best friend while they ate.

It was a bit of a puzzle to Riley; she knew for a fact that Maya was thrilled at the idea of marrying Lucas, but she didn't seem to care much about the particulars of when, where or how, while Riley's own mind was swirling with details and plans.

-000-

Once the food had been consumed, and Maya had scraped everything left in the chili pot into a bowl, she reluctantly agreed to talk wedding details.

"Why isn't Lucas here? Shouldn't he have a say as he's, you know, the groom?" Maya complained as Riley dragged her to a chair.

"Grooms are useless." Riley declared, sitting next to Maya.

"He should suffer too."

"Okay," Riley ignored her momentarily then went on excitedly. "I have it all color coded and broken into categories."

"Of course you do." Maya said as all her women folk – meaning Riley, Topanga, Katy and Mrs. Friar – gathered around the kitchen table.

"First we need a date."

"Two weekends before the start of classes in the fall." Maya said. It was the one wedding detail she and Lucas had discussed the night they got engaged (in between doing it like rabbits).

"A late summer wedding." Riley said, shifting some stuff in her binder. "Locations?"

Maya shrugged. "Maybe we could just go to the courthouse, and then have a small gathering afterward."

"Absolutely not! You'll have a proper wedding!"

Maya rolled her eyes. "Then maybe something outdoors."

"I'll look into it." Riley scribbled something in a legal pad she had produced out of nowhere. "Number of guests?"

"Closest friends and family. Don't think it'll be a lot; pretty much everyone I love is already here. But I would guess it'll be seventy-five people total."

"Small and charming. I'll plan for a hundred, just to be sure." Riley was totally digging being the wedding planner. "Of course, I'll be your maid of honor."

"Of course. And I think Lucas wants both Zay and Farkle to be best men, but I don't know."

"He'll have to flip a coin. I want this to be symmetrical and perfect." Riley said fiercely, making Maya laugh.

"I don't care either way, Riles."

"You say that now, but wait until you get into bridezilla mode."

"I won't." Maya instinctively knew this about herself.

"Okay, next thing, we need to make an appointment to look for dresses."

"You should really get to that, honey. They usually take six months or more to make a dress," Katy added helpfully before Maya bemoaned the shopping expedition. "And Shawn and I want to pay for the dress."

"Thanks, Mom."

"Good, I'll get a budget from him." Riley said, making more notes. "Any dress preferences?"

"Nothing too fussy or princess-y. And it'll have to go well with Mrs. Friar's veil."

"Mrs. Friar's veil?" Riley asked.

"It's a family tradition. The veil has been in the family for almost one hundred years. I had it shipped from Austin when I gave Lucas the ring." Mrs. Friar said with glee.

"All right." Riley said, moving her pen across the page. "Who's going to walk you down the aisle? My dad and Shawn have been arguing over it."

"Actually…" Maya paused.

"Babygirl, if you want your father to-" Katy said carefully.

"Of course I want dad and the girls to come," Maya said, thinking of her teenage sisters in Boston. "But I thought you would walk me down the aisle, Mom."

"Maya." Katy whispered, getting misty eyed.

"Mom, you're the only person who has never, ever left me. I think it should be you."

Katy lost the battle against the tears and hugged Maya way too hard; for once, Maya didn't care.

"Of course I'll do it, Babygirl."

"Before you start, Riles, I know it's not traditional or symmetrical. But my life has never been either of those things. But it has always been wonderful because I had y'all. That's all I need. I legit don't care about the details, honey. Just want you all there."

"Okay, fine. Be a hippie." Riley said mock scolding but with a big smile in her face. "So I guess you don't care about the food or cake either."

"Texas style barbeque!" Maya said. "I want Texas style barbecue."

Riley just closed the binder and threw it away.


	6. Chapter 6: Says Yes!

**Hello everybunny! I'm sorry for the delay, first work caught up with me and then Sandy - who is an awesome grade student - got a bit caught up with school, and I was having a bit of trouble writing this chapter to be honest. BUT it's done and we are happy with it! So thanks for your patience, thanks to Sandy for all her help, and onto the chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: In Which Maya Says Yes… Twice.**

For the rest of her life, Maya would remember the months leading up to her wedding as a happy blur punctuated by certain moments that she would recall - crisp and clear - for the rest of her life.

Like the moment when Riley found her wedding dress. Maya had been ready to buy the first dress that fit her okay but Riley was on a quest to find the perfect one, dragging Maya to at least three different stores until they found it at a small boutique deep in the village. It was the kind of place you only knew of if you had lived there your entire life.

It had been late afternoon in early March. Riley had chatted up the owner into keeping the store open a little late so Maya, Katy, Mrs. Friar and Topy (plus Shawn-who insisted on documenting everything for posterity - could get there). Maya was tired and all she wanted were some tacos and a snuggling session with Lucas (if he was a good boy and bought her tacos from Paco's Tacos). But there she was, trying on whatever dress her women folk pulled for her, indifferent throughout the whole process... until Riley found _**it.**_

Maya thought Riley would go full on princess puff, but instead she had selected a simple dress: it had illusion straps and a fitted bodice that fell gently into an A-line skirt. It even matched Mrs. Friar's veil.

It made Maya cry. Everyone was crying really, though Riley also sported a smug grin as she hugged Maya and whispered in her ear, "Lucas is going to swallow his tongue when he sees you!"

"I think I'm getting into this wedding stuff," Maya said once she stopped crying. However, that sentiment died a quick death when she had to stand still for 30 minutes for the fitting.

.

After that, the wedding seemed to march forward without many hitches, especially after they found a full-service venue that took care of the rest of details. They even found a catering company that agreed to make Texas Style BBQ for Maya.

There were a few moments of tension too. In July, Lucas was assigned to a pretty gruesome murder case that put him on edge which led to Maya becoming short-tempered when Riley hounded her about details.

But, after they had their first petty fight - over napkins and wedding colors of all things- they made a solemn vow not to let the wedding get in the way of their relationship; they were both people that kept their promises.

Instead, they focused on finding a new apartment for themselves since Maya and Riley had decided to let their lease run out. Months before Riley and Marcus had applied for subsidized housing near the UN building, they had gotten news that they could move in in October.

Farkle had told Lucas and Maya that they were welcome to stay at Chez Farkle after the wedding- he had plenty of space and it was no trouble – but they wanted to start their life together in their own place.

So, by late in February they had settled into a routine of going through the apartment listings every weekend, trying to figure out their options which weren't many – and that was even before adding the "no dogs allowed" issue. Maya wasn't leaving Huckleberry behind (neither of them!).

The answer to their prayers came from an unexpected source: Lucas' dad. Mr. Friar had called Lucas one Thursday, and asked him to meet him after work. Lucas was a little surprised, but agreed. The years had mellowed out Mr. Friar somewhat. Once a pretty domineering figure in Lucas' life, he had lost some of his rigidity as years went on; once he could begin to relate to his son man-to-man, things had been easier between them.

Lucas met his father in front of a boarded up house, about six blocks away from Farkle's house

"Glad you could make it." Mr. Friar said as he opened the front door, surprising Lucas.

"What is this place?" Lucas couldn't help asking as they stepped inside.

"Funny you should ask that... it's an investment property your Mother and I bought about six years ago, when this neighborhood was just starting to transition. A coworker of mine was moving to Europe permanently and sold everything, including this house, for peanuts basically."

"I never knew."

"Yeah, well, you know our marriage counselor suggested we find activities to do together. Turns out I drive your mother crazy when I try to cook with her, I can't paint to save a life and my pottery skills are non-existent. So we figured we could flip this house together and sell it for a profit... we just never got around to it."

"Six years ago, " Lucas said pensively. "That's when mom got her job at NYU, right? And you got that Senior VP promotion."

"That's right," Mr. Friar smiled. "We did make some improvements. The plumbing is in working order and we updated the electrical installation. I had a building inspector check it out, and he says the construction is sound."

"You two want to finish fixing it now?"

His father looked at him like he was quite hopeless. "No, not us. It's yours if you want it. Well, yours and Maya's."

"What?"

"Why is it so surprising? You're our only son and even though I don't say it to you often, I'm proud of you and of the life you're making for yourself. Your mother and I just want to help a little. You need a place, we have it; now it's yours if you want it. It'll still be up to you to finish fixing the place, and besides, we won't have the time to do it now anyway."

"Why?" Lucas asked, still a little stunned.

"We're moving back to Texas in a few months. We'll be back for the wedding of course, but, well, your grandfather needs more help with the ranch than I can provide out here so I'm taking early retirement from my company; and your mom got a job offer at UT-Austin." Mr. Friar said, quite proud of his wife.

"Does mom really want to move back?" Lucas couldn´t help asking.

Mr. Friar laughed, "Yes, son. We didn't take the decision lightly. Austin is home to us. We did good for ourselves here, but we want to go back to our friends and the rest of the family. And no, we never expected you to move back. We've known for a while that your life is here."

"I'm sorry," Lucas said, meaning it even if he wasn't quite sure what he was sorry for. Maybe that now New York was his home and even though he loved Texas, he knew he would never go back full time.

"There's no reason to be. We just want you to be happy."

.

The next day, Lucas took Maya to the house and explained what his father had said the day before while she looked around in awe.

For New York City, the amount of space in the house was shocking. This was the kind of building that usually got split into 2 or 4 smaller apartments. Plus, it was full of light and it even had a small garden in the back, which would be nice for their dog.

"I know the house needs work, but Father showed me the home inspector's report, and it's mostly cosmetic. We could even do some of it ourselves, like painting. What do you think?"

"That I can't believe your parents want to give us this."

"You like it?"

"Are you kidding? This neighborhood is awesome, we're close to Farkle and Zay and Riley's new place won't be that far either. The only problem is that we'll still need to come up with the money to make it livable."

"I thought about that," Lucas said. "We could apply for a home improvement loan. We've already got good credit; I don't have student loans- "

"Lucky bastard," Maya interrupted.

"-Yours aren't so bad." He went on.

Maya shrugged but agreed. Through a combination of luck, financial aid, help from her parents, part-time jobs, and her having applied for every scholarship and grant known to man, she had managed to avoid student loans until her last couple of semesters in college, when she couldn't keep her 3-part time jobs and work on her thesis and prep her portfolio to get certified as an art teacher.

"So you think we can do this?"

"If you like the place, I'll get it done."

Maya looked around one more time. She could almost imagine how it would be once they fixed it all up. How she would put her easel and painting supplies in the nook by the east windows, how Lucas could make an office out of the matching nook at the other side of the room, so even when they were working they would still technically be hanging out.

"Well, I guess we only really need to get the kitchen, a bathroom and one of the rooms working before of the wedding. We can do the rest after."

"So… you're saying yes to the house?"

"Are you kidding? Free house? Of course I'm saying yes."


	7. Chapter 7: Remember When

**Hello everyone! first, sorry for the wait! Life just got a bit too hectic for a while there but Sandy, as always, came to the rescue! And I can promise the next chapter will be coming out pretty soon - btw, if you want to get more updates on the story, I usually post them in tumblr, my name is lexiegirlstuff - and, in fact this story isn't that long so we'll be wrapping up pretty soon,**

 **On the technical notes side, this chapter includes a couple of flashbacks, which are marked in italics. Hope it's okay.**

 **And I hope you enjoy the chapter. Feel free to drop me a line / review. (those are great to guilt trip me fyi)**

* * *

 **Chapter Seven: In Which Maya and Riley Remember When**

Packing up their apartment was the hardest thing the girls had to do. They had waited until their lease was about to run out before they finally got some boxes and started to disassemble their life together.

Maya was moving the bulk of her things to the new house while Riley was moving most of her stuff to storage. She and Marcus had been appointed to a special UN commission headquartered in Geneva, and were leaving shortly after Maya's wedding.

The guys helped them to move the heavier stuff, constantly amazed by the amount of things the girls had managed to accumulate in their five years of living together.

Around 5 PM, Lucas and Marcus left to find some pizza for dinner (mostly because they recognized the girls needed a moment to themselves). Riley and Maya were left alone in the apartment, with an assortment of photographs – framed and otherwise. They sat on the padded bench that had served as their makeshift bay window all these years.

The day Maya and Riley had moved into the apartment, Zay, Farkle and Lucas had shown up with the little bench, setting it in front of their biggest window in the living room so they could have their bay window time.

Now they sat there, sorting through the pictures. Some of the photos were old, going back to high school or even middle school. There were a few from when they were in elementary school; but most of those photos remained in Topanga's and Katy's possession.

"I have my own copy of that one," Maya said, pointing at a photo of the five of them during senior year; it was taken after that party Farkle had thrown when they had committed to their respective colleges. "I think you made copies for all of us."

"I did," Riley said and picked up a different photo. "You should have this one."

It was of the two of them, as kids, in Central Park. "But you love this one!"

"Which is why I want you to have it," Riley answered.

They went back and forth for a while.

"Do you remember this one?" Maya said, holding up a picture of the lot of them plus Marcus at Smackle's favorite restaurant a couple of years before.

Riley smiled. "I think it's the first one where Marcus shows up. We had been dating for 3 months."

"You were so nervous about Smackle meeting him," Maya said, leaning back against the window.

"Smackle is the biggest bullshit detector we have. She always knew when my boyfriends weren't going to work out. Of course I was nervous."

Riley mirrored Maya's pose, remembering that time. At that point Riley had known Marcus for a little over nine months. They had been dating for three of them and she already knew he was different.

 _._

 _Over the years, she had dated plenty of people and it had mostly been fun. But her relationships didn't seem to last. Until Marcus. That night she had been nervous and micromanaging everything about Smackle's welcome back dinner._

 _Smackle had just finished a post-doctorate in Germany (that girl collected advanced degrees like some people collected stamps) and was stopping in New York for a few weeks before taking a job at NASA. Farkle, of course, had wanted to celebrate so he had booked a private room at Smackle's favorite restaurant (where they had gone for their first grown-up date when they were sixteen, thank you very much!) and dropped the whole project to planning the party in Riley's lap._

 _Smackle had been her usual blunt self, but Marcus took it with a smile. They talked about some mathematical thing or another that went over almost everyone else's heads. Riley sat there tense until Marcus excused himself for a moment to take a call from his parents (they lived in England and they hadn't mastered time zones yet)._

" _So? What's the verdict?" Riley asked eagerly._

" _Whatever do you mean?" Smackle asked innocently._

" _Come off it, Isadora! What do you think about him?"_

" _Riles, give her a bit of a break." Farkle admonished_

" _I'm sorry, but this is important to me. I think he might be it, and Smackle's seal of approval is essential!"_

" _Of course he is IT, as you put it" Smackle said, making air quotes and everything. "He's basically Maya."_

 _For a full five seconds no one said anything, until Maya broke the silence. "What do you mean?"_

" _Come on? You guys don't see it? They have the same dry, sarcastic sense of humor, they get Riley like no one else and have endless patience for her. He's just a more academic minded, male version of Maya." Smackle said, taking a sip of her drink. "Just like Lucas is basically Riley. Goody-goody-two shoes with a bit of a hidden temper, who like to get their way and also save the world."_

" _I can see that," Zay said. "Makes sense."_

 _Riley and Maya had turned toward each other; then Maya turned to Lucas, studying him through narrowed eyes while Riley studied Marcus as he walked back to their table._

" _Uh." They both said that the same time. Then Riley went on, "We have dated each other."_

" _And we didn't even have to get experimental in college." Maya added as she and Riley high-fived each other._

" _I did." Smackle said, shutting everyone up again. "French exchange student, very liberal. Dumb as a lamp post but what you gonna do?"_

" _What did I miss?" Marcus asked as he sat down amongst the stunned silence that followed Smackle's declaration._

-.-

Coming out of her reverie, Riley picked up the next photo of the bunch. It was of Maya and Lucas at some party; they must have been seventeen or so. Lucas had Maya tucked into his letterman jacket, she was smiling to the camera but he was looking at her. It was cliché, sure, but also adorable.

"I love this one." Maya said, taking it.

"I used to be so jealous of you, back then." Riley said, surprising herself a little.

"All this time? About Lucas?" Maya asked, that old fear of her fourteen-year-old-self rising up for a moment.

"Not about Lucas specifically. More like the idea of him… of how it all came together so quickly for you."

"Riles- "

"No, I know your life wasn't perfect when we were kids. It took me a while to see it but I did and I do. I don't mean that."

"What do you mean?"

Riley was quiet for a moment, gathering her thoughts to articulate this thing she had only ever admitted to herself. "Well, you met this guy in the subway who turned out to be the love of your life; you found your talent and you were in control."

"I never felt in control when we were kids."

"But you did later on. Remember when we had The Talk." Riley said.

Maya smiled, "When you freaked out because you found out I was on the pill and I hadn't told you?"

"Well, it wasn't a great way to find out!" Riley said, still a little outraged, ten years later.

.-.

 _They had been studying at Riley's house when Maya's the screen of Maya's phone lit up and began to beep loudly. Riley reached for it to pass it to Maya, who was sitting on the floor when she happened to glance at the screen to find, in all caps, "TAKE YOUR PILL, BABIES ARE THE WORST!"_

" _What does that mean?" Riley asked, holding it up to Maya._

" _Shoot!" She said, scrambling for her backpack. "Sorry, Mom says I have to take the stupid pill at the same time every day or it doesn't work."_

" _You're on the pill? Why didn't you tell me? Are you and Lucas doing it?"_

" _Of course Lucas and I aren't 'doing it', yet." She clarified. "Don't you think I would have told you that?"_

" _I would hope so!" Riley said, working up to Indignant Riley._

" _We have done… things, but not that. Which is why I asked my mom if I could get on the pill. Which, by the way, was a less awkward conversation than this one."_

" _So you guys aren't- then why?"_

" _Because… I want it to happen at some point – probably sooner rather than later - and I want to be ready. I actually feel like I have a future now. I'm doing well at school, college doesn't seem like an impossibility and I don't want to take chances. When I have kids...if I have kids… it's going to be because I want to, not because Ranger Rick and I were horny and screwed up."_

-.-

"It was kind of fun though, but nothing tops your face when I told you the deed was done." Maya said with a smile. "You kept asking questions and covering your eyes for some reason when I answered. It was adorable."

"I was trying not to picture it!" Riley said with a bit of a shudder. "But even back then I knew you and Lucas were the right thing… I just kept wondering why I hadn't found mine yet. I think that was what I was jealous about. I got through it. I think I started to get through it that summer we went to Camp when you and Lucas were writing all those letters to each other. Your whole face changed when you got them."

"I was a sap in denial," Maya agreed.

"You were. But I saw the way you guys connected and I knew Lucas and I never had that. And I let go of it, I truly did. But, over the years, as my prince charming took his sweet time appearing, I had moments of this jealousy… but after that talk we had… I realized that it was all about choice, you know? That instead of holding to a series of fairy tale fantasies, I needed to open my heart."

"You are the most open-hearted person I know."

"In a way, I guess, I kept looking for this very specific version of love, like my parents had. And I grew distressed when I didn't find it and I closed myself to the possibility of other amazing things. When that hit me, I decided to fill my life with love and to take all the possibilities I could. And I did." Riley giggled, thinking about all the guys she had dated over the years. "I opened my heart, and when I did… he found me."

Maya threw her arms around Riley, sniffling a little "God, we are sappy!"

Riley smiled. "He asked me to marry him, you know."

"WHAT?"

"A few days ago." Riley grinned. Maybe this was her revenge for Pill Gate. "We didn't want to say anything because we didn't want to steal the focus from your wedding. But it didn't feel right to leave for Europe without telling you."

"Damn right!" Maya said, as Riley pulled out a pretty engagement ring that she had been wearing on a chain around her neck. "How did it happen? Tell me everything!"

"We were in the general assembly room," Riley said, putting her ring on. "It was early, and they were doing a sound check when suddenly his voice comes on and he said "Riley Matthews would you marry me?" And everyone was looking so I just yelled, "Yes!" and laughed, thinking it was just for fun. But then he came out of the sound booth and had this ring" Riley shrugged. "It was perfect. Embarrassing because there were some ambassadors already there, but perfect!"

It was, Maya thought. The perfect, big gesture proposal for Riley. "I'm so happy for you."

"We haven't talked about details yet. We agreed to just enjoy being engaged for a while, since we'll be in Geneva for the next six months anyway and won't be able to plan a thing."

That was sensible. Still, Maya couldn't help giggling and hugging Riley again. "You're getting married!"

Riley laughed. "No, you're getting married! In ten days!"

"I am, aren't I?" Maya said, looking down at the ring Lucas had given her. "When he asked, I thought I would feel more nervous by now, that I would be fidgeting and maybe trying to bolt… but mostly I can't wait."

"That's love, baby."

They were silent for a moment. "Things are going to change now, aren't they?"

"They have to." Riley said, linking their hands. Their engagement rings sparkling in the twilight, their still treasured friendship rings clinking slightly. "You know how people say you get one "love of your life", one "extraordinary relationship"?"

"Yeah."

"I think that's wrong. That if you're very lucky you get to love lots of people, in different ways but with all your heart. And you get to be loved too. I love you, and you love me. That doesn't change."

"Thunder and Lighting!" Maya said.

"Always."


	8. Chapter 8: Incredibly Sappy

**Hello everyone!**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter! I really enjoyed writing it. Thanks to Sandy for all her help as always.**

 **Reviews, comments and thoughts are always welcome!**

 **Thanks for reading.**

* * *

 **Steadfast**

 **Chapter 8: In Which Lucas is Incredibly Sappy**

The day before the wedding was a busy one. Maya's dad and his family arrived from Boston and Maya spent some time with them. Lucas' parents had arrived as well so he was going around the city with them taking care of last-minute details.

Riley was adamant that the bride and groom shouldn't see each other before the wedding. So, after dropping off her dad and his family at the hotel, Maya went back with Riley to the Matthews' apartment and turned in, deciding to just watch some Red Planet Diaries (for old time's sake) and eat ice-cream.

Afterward, Maya sat on the bay window, braiding her hair while Riley went to brush her teeth.

She was humming along when…

"Don't make a sound!" Lucas whispered, sliding in through the window. "This was a lot easier when I was fourteen." He added, sitting next to Maya.

"What are you doing here? If Riley sees you she's going to have a cow."

"I had to see you."

"But you can't see me before the wedding."

"I checked with my Mama. She said I can't see you on the day of the wedding. It's eleven thirty PM, we're good." Lucas said, leaning over to kiss Maya.

Maya let him, because she had missed him but she cut it short. "Riley will be back any second."

"Got it covered. I called Auggie and he's going to keep her busy for a little bit."

"There's my criminal Huckleberry." Maya said, leaning into him, laughing a little as her dog lifted its head from the bed. "Not you."

Huckleberry (the dog), used to this name mix up, sighed and lay back down.

"Are you sure we can't change his name?" Lucas asked. They had this conversation every couple of weeks or so.

"Very sure," Maya grinned.

"You're lucky I'm a sucker for your face."

"I am very cute."

"You are." Lucas agreed.

"So, why are you here… aside from the fact that I'm adorable and you love me?"

"Got a present for you." Lucas said, digging into his jacket pocket. "Thought you might want to wear it tomorrow… if you want to."

"Gimmie." Maya said excitedly, accepting the small box and opening it to reveal a locket.

It wasn't heart shaped; that would have been too clichéd. Plus, she already had a heart-shaped locket that Katy had given her years before- the day Katy met Shawn, actually. Instead, it was an oval made of white gold with intricate scrolls on the front.

"Do you like it?" Lucas asked nervously as Maya turned it over and saw the inscription.

"For Maya. Love you forever, Lucas." Maya read. "It's beautiful."

He sighed in relief. "Open it up." One side of the locket was already occupied by a picture of them back in 7th grade. "It's the first picture of the two of us that I had. And I thought we could put one from the wedding on the other side.

"I love it," Maya said. She closed it again and turned it over. "What're all those numbers?"

"The first ones are the day and hour I first saw you. You know, at the subway?"

"How do you remember that?"

"I was trying to look at the clock in the platform – I was still trying to figure out how long it took from my apartment to the school – when I saw you. On the other side, there's the date of our wedding and then I'm going to add the hour."

"Oh," She said, sniffling a little. "I'll never know how you come up with these things, Ranger Rick."

Lucas shrugged. "You gave me the idea, actually."

"I'm not as corny as this."

"Remember the first Valentine's Day we spent together?"

"When I beat you at bowling?"

"Yeah. Then we went to your place and watched Sabrina the Teenage Witch until your parents came and made me go home, remember? But before that you told me the whole epic love story of Harvey and Sabrina and the-"

"The 12:36 bracelet."

"I thought about a bracelet first, but I know you like lockets best."

"I do," Maya said.

"Just remember to say that tomorrow." Lucas winked, making Maya laugh.


	9. Chapter 9: Something Maya Always Wanted

**OK! SO SO SORRY FOR THE MASSIVE DELAY! I got really caught up with a bunch of RL, KDrama and Anime stuff and I sort of had a hard time figuring this out, but here you have it now. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your patience.**

 **Chapter 10 is already written and I hope to post it as soon as I get the edits back.**

 **Thanks to you for your patience, and to Sandy as always ;)**

* * *

 **Steadfast**

 **Chapter 9: In Which Maya Gets Something She Had Always Wanted**

Lucas rather thought he was the luckiest man alive when Maya looked up at him and said "I do" with a huge smile on her face. It was something that had always struck him about Maya and their relationship, one of the reasons they worked even if on the surface he was a square-lawyer and she the free-spirited artist: they were traditionalists at heart.

And getting married felt good.

The ceremony itself had been fairly simple. Lucas respected that Maya wasn't particularly religious and she hadn't wanted anything too elaborate. Maya opted to be sensible, preferring to put money into fixing up their house rather than into a party.

The only part she relented on the budget was in the food, because she really wanted her Texas Style BBQ, which proved to be a hit with the guests (Texan and otherwise).

"See, I told you it was a great idea!" Maya told Riley. She had managed to eat all of her BBQ and part of Lucas' food from his plate without getting a spot on her wedding dress.

"I would say I'm impressed but that would only encourage you." Riley answered.

Maya laughed. She was so happy that all she could do was laugh. She half thought she would never cry again… being Mrs. Friar (for all of three hours so far) felt that amazing… but of course, then the speeches started, with none other than her husband.

"Maya," he said, standing up. "I've been in awe of you from the moment we first met in the subway. I won't pretend I knew what you would mean to me then – God knows it took us a while to figure it out – but I have never been more grateful for anything. I can't imagine what my life would have been without the tiny blond who pushed her best friend into my lap and pulled me into their lives. You are my heart".

The first couple of speeches were okay, it was mostly Farkle and Zay poking fun at Lucas. Then Shawn did another one where he talked about what a joy had been to see her grow up… and then it was Riley's turn; she had been working on this speech for months.

"Once upon a time Maya and I were sitting on my bay window, a couple of weeks before we finished seventh grade… and Maya had just asked Lucas out – though he hadn't answered, a bit slow our Lucas is –and I asked her if I could be maid of honor when she married him. Maya said: 'Sure, when I marry anyone other than Ranger Rick', to what I only have to say: HA!

"She also said 'He's doesn't wanna go out with me. He's not going out with me. He's never going out with me', so, again, HA!

"And then we both had our first dates, me with Lucas and she with Farkle. It was complicated, though we all snapped out of it pretty quickly; thank god. But, see, the thing is… Maya, we have gone through every stage of life together since the day you crawled into my bay window and became the best friend a girl could ever hope for. You have dragged me into the best parts of my life and held my hand through every change imaginable…

"And now that you go where I can't follow, I know you couldn't have chosen a better partner.

"Lucas, I know you will take good care of our girl. But remember what I said when you guys started going out?"

"If you break her heart, I break your face?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, that still stands and remember that now I have diplomatic immunity. Cheers!"

That almost got Maya. Almost, but she ended up laughing again.

A bit later, Maya and Lucas retired from the party as they had a plane to catch and they had to drop by their house to change and pick up their luggage. They decided to shower and indulged in some shower-sex because why not?

Then Maya waited while Lucas ran around like a headless chicken making sure they had turned off the water, gas and electricity, and that all the windows were closed and doors locked.

Bored as Lucas triple-checked everything, Maya began to sort through a pile of papers on the table until she came to a large, thick envelope addressed to Lucas and Maya Friar. The return address was in Austin, and by the looks of it, it seemed to be from a law office.

"Lucas? What is this?" She asked, holding up the envelope.

"Oh, some papers my father gave me of my grandmother's estate. Apparently, she left us some money for when we got married." Lucas answered. "And he mentioned that there was something in there for you."

Maya frowned. She knew she was in Grandma Ruth's estate, back when she had died. Maya had gone to Texas with Lucas for the funeral; the lawyer had asked them to sign over power of attorney to Lucas' parents, since they couldn't stay in Austin long enough for the opening of the will and all of that. A few weeks later, a certified letter came for her. Grandma Ruth had left Maya a pair of earrings that she had always admired and a tin box full of Grandma Ruth's recipes.

Curious, Maya opened the envelope and sifted through some legal documents she didn't have the mind to pursue just now, digging into the envelope she found a familiar looking card.

Written in Grandma Ruth's precise copperplate was the Friar Family Chili Recipe, the one recipe that hadn't been among the others she had inherited.

Maya wasn't aware of having made a sound but then Lucas was right by her side, stroking her head.

"This is the best gift ever," Maya said, showing it to Lucas.

"Told you, you would only get it if you married me." He said smugly.

"Shut up." Maya said, reaching again for the card and turning it slowly. In the back there weren't any more instructions. Instead there was a short note:

 _Dear Maya,_

 _You have been a child of my heart since the moment Lucas first brought you home. Watching the two of you fall in love has been one of the great joys of my life._

 _Welcome to the family, my darling. We are so proud to have you._

 _Love,_

 _Ruth Friar._

And that's when Maya understood the concept of happy tears. She knew not all days with Lucas would be perfect; but their love for each other would be.


	10. Chapter 10: Everyone is Nesting

**Author's Note:**

 **So.. this is it, folks.**

 **I'm so glad I got to tell this story, going all the way back to Walk Me Home. It went through several changes and things that I had to cut, but I'm pretty happy with how things turned out.**

 **Thanks to Sandy, because she kept me sane through writing this whole thing (I think it took, like a year, since that one shot that turned into Walk Me Home); and who let me write like myself but still made me better.**

 **And to you guys for reading it!**

* * *

 _ **Steadfast**_

 **Chapter Ten: In Which Everyone Is Nesting**

Lucas had known Maya for over fifteen years and it still surprised him how patient she could be. Not always; she wasn't always patient about food and not always with him, but she could keep quiet and wait when it suited her.

Him? He had wanted to shout it from the rooftops as soon as they found out. But Maya said wait and so he did.

It wasn't until they were walking out of the doctor's office—an ultrasound picture clutched in his hand and with the reassurance that everything was fine—that Maya finally relented.

"Can I tell everyone now?" Lucas asked.

"Sure," Maya smiled at him. It had taken him a while to process everything but Maya felt more secure now. And happy. Now she didn't care who knew and it was fine by her if Lucas wanted to deliver the news. She would have probably sent out a mass text and called it good; she was lazy that way.

Maya waited patiently while Lucas called their parents, and then conference called all of their friends. Dropping the news and then hanging up before they were bombarded with questions. He even turned off his phone.

"Efficient!" Maya said, impressed. "Now would you mind taking me and this kid you put inside of me for some food? We're hungry."

Lucas laughed and hugged her close. "Let me guess? Paco's Tacos?"

"Always."

-.

After that, their lives became overpowered by the impending birth of their first child. No matter that it was still six months away, give or take. All of their friends and families were over the moon.

The worst by far was Riley, who kept sending Maya all type of little outfits and toys from wherever she happened to be while working for the UN. But everyone had it bad: Zay, who was pretty in control of his hours as a choreographer, often picked Maya up from work and took her to eat and hung out with her in the afternoons while Lucas and Smackle – whom Zay had started dating since Maya and Lucas' wedding, almost two years before – were busy at work.

Shawn and Katy dropped by pretty often, often bringing some groceries or food, because they wanted to make sure Maya didn't just stuff her face with Paco's Tacos until the birth.

The big surprise, however, was Farkle. He had taken to hovering and sent ridiculously expensive baby items that soon began to fill the room they were turning into the nursery. The worse of it was when Maya was near her sixth month. She and Lucas had returned home from Lamaze class to find a professional crew baby-proofing their house under Farkle's supervision.

"What's going on?" Lucas fairly yelled.

"Oh, hi. I thought I would just get this out of the way for you," Farkle said calmly.

Lucas counted to ten inside of his head and then counted to twenty. "Farkle. A word with you. In the kitchen. Now!"

"Oh boy," Zay said as he and Smackle arrived. They were all supposed to have lunch together. "I wouldn't want to be in Farkle's shoes right about now."

"Well, this has been brewing for a while." Maya said, dropping to the couch and putting her feet up. "Our nursery is full of stuff he's sent over. Lucas' fragile Texan ego feels a little insulted, like he believes Farkle thinks he can't get these things done or something."

"It's not like that," Smackle said reflectively.

"What do you mean, sweetheart?"

"Well, pregnancy and birth is one of those things you can't control; you can do everything right and something might still go wrong, you know?"

"I do, but I try not to think about it." Maya admitted, patting her bump.

"Well, that's probably all Farkle is thinking about right now. He loves you, and he loves Lucas, and he knows that if something unpredictable and bad happens to you or the baby, y'all will crumble. And he worries, but he knows there is nothing he can do… so he throws money at the situation to feel like he's doing something."

"Oh," Maya said. "I never thought of it like that." But now that Smackle had pointed it out, it made sense. That's the kind of guy Farkle was. And it was just so like Smackle that she had figured it out. "Thanks for telling me this, Isadora."

Smackle shrugged. "Farkle and I are just wired the same way. But I'm better at handling it, obviously."

"Obviously," Zay said, pulling Smackle into a hug.

..

Meanwhile in the kitchen…

"Farkle, you have to stop." Lucas said, trying to be as calm and rational as he could.

"What am I doing?" Farkle asked, truly perplexed.

"This!" Lucas pointed toward the living room and the baby proofing crew. "The slew of baby items and expensive stuff."

"I was just trying to help, gee."

"Yeah, but these are things Maya and I should be doing together. And it makes me feel like you think I can't take care of my family or something."

Farkle actually snorted at that. "Of course I know you can take care of Maya and the baby. Do you think I would have let you marry one of my girls if I thought otherwise?"

"Oh," Lucas said, surprised. "Then what is it?"

Farkle was quiet for a moment; then he leaned against the kitchen island. "I don't know what to do. I worry about her and about you if something happens to them, and I don't know what to do."

The wind went out of the sails of Lucas' anger. "Farkle, it's going to be okay. We're doing all what we're supposed to do. We're all taking care of Maya. There's no reason to believe something will go wrong. And we can't live that way."

"I know. I know I'm wrong I just…"

"Just reign it in a little, okay? Ask before you do stuff, and please no more baby things. Nothing fits in the nursery anymore and we haven't even started putting it together."

Farkle sighed. "All right." The he startled. "Oh! But I already ordered the Bugaboo pram thing that Maya wanted. The canopy is printed with a Van Gogh painting, you know?"

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Fine, you can give her that."

Farkle smiled and nodded, thinking it was a good thing Lucas had no idea how much that thing cost.

-0-

One weekend in early October, Riley was in New York for once rather than running around all over Europe. Maya decided that it was time to put the nursery together. She'd just passed the eight-month mark and they were running out of time, but she hadn't wanted to do it without Riley.

That Friday evening, Lucas and Marcus painted the baby's room in a pale blue color Maya had chosen, so that it would be dry and aired out before everyone else came in the morning. Riley and Maya sorted through all the baby paraphernalia that had accumulated and got rid of the boxes and packaging, getting everything ready to go into the drawers once the room was ready.

Then on Saturday, around ten a.m. the rest of their friends arrived. The guys applied themselves to putting the furniture together while the girls got the baby's clothes out of the dryer and folded them.

It was working out just fine… for about an hour, when the guys realized they had no idea what the diagrams said.

"You do know Smackle is three different kinds of engineer, right?" Riley said, watching from the doorway as Lucas, Marcus, Zay and Farkle struggled to make sense of the IKEA instructions they were holding.

"And she knows Swedish." Zay added thoughtfully, having looked in vain for fifteen minutes for the instructions in English. "Smackle, sugar!" He called out. "Come out here for a second!"

After that, Smackle took charge and things went a lot smoother. She even ended up teaching the guys some very interesting curse words in Swedish.

By the end of the day, everyone was tired and dusty. But the room was done, the furniture put together, the curtains hung and the daybed – right on the bay window Lucas had built into the room when they had remodeled the house – was padded with soft cushions.

"Everything is ready," Maya said, looking around after everyone else had left. "Let's hope we are."

"I don't think anyone is ever ready but we'll be fine, Maya. I promise."

-0-

The last month flew by and Maya was alternately delighted and aggravated by the whole ordeal. She was on maternity leave from work and waddling around their house without much to do but to talk with Riley over the phone and watch endless rounds of Hallmark movies that made her burst into tears even if, intellectually, she knew they weren't that good.

Lucas stayed close to the house, passing on a few cases because he knew how time consuming they would be. The hovering was driving Maya nuts, but it all was worth it when she finally put her baby in his arms.

Penelope Grace Friar, a healthy baby girl, was blonde like both her parents (though the bets were still on going as to whether her eyes would settle on blue or green).

They brought her home in early November, all bundled up though it was a warm day – for November in New York. Maya settled in with the baby in the nursery while Lucas ran out to get some last-minute baby supplies in the form of diapers and baby wipes, which ran out at a surprising rate.

"Lucas is taking to this parenting thing, isn't he?" Riley, who had accompanied them from the hospital, commented as Maya sat down in the rocking chair Shawn and Katy had given them for the nursery.

"He's a natural," Maya admitted. She smiled down at her baby who had just opened her eyes after letting out a ferocious yawn and doing a full body stretch that only babies can do.

"You're adjusting quite well, too."

"I'm terrified, but I'm so happy I don't even care."

Riley grew thoughtful. "Remember how back in high school you used to say that babies were The Worst."

"Yeah," Maya said, smiling some more.

"Do you still think so?"

"Nope." She said firmly, because she knew that her Penelope Grace Friar was The Best.

* * *

The End


End file.
